The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-09-16

and society man; Pat Ireland, Joe
French, Greaser Bent, my brother
Harry and myself. Our provisions
were running low. Bent had boosted
OF his knowledge of the country, and,
as he stoutly asserted his ability to re-
trrn in few days with supplies, was
allowed to take one of our two mules
and go on the search. We who
stayed agreed to leave signals for his
guidance if we moved on. Six DAYS
passed, but Bent had not appeared.
A hungrier set seldom comes to any
table than came to that rough split
section of redwood branch, resting
on unpeeled orotched sticks driven
into the ground. Standish, who was
cook that day, hourished over his head
a well-polished bone that had once be-
longcd to fat porker.
Look at that, boys" said he.
"We're fiat broke on ham; the last
flour bag looks lean, the saleratus can
grins at you every time you open it,
and the pork and beans have almost
vanished"
''Ef Pat would make de bread dere
would be saleratus in de poches," said
French Joe.
"Sure an whin Joe I'll be afther
coollin' the banes we'll sthrike 1t rich
an pibbles," said Pat, looking fercely
at Joe.
How far to the nearest rancho" 1
asked
"Bent says it vas no more than ten
mile, as der crow fly" Joe answered.
''Bein as thare's niver crow amonst
MS, an niyer u mothers son ave us TUX
to the flynn business, there's no tillin'
ther length ave ther same tin mile. :"
said Pat.
THAT'S the wisest speech you ever
made" said Harry.
They may be good deal longer
miles for us than for Bent" said |,
''for We'll have to make our own
trail"
81 believe Bent's gone back on us,
said Standish. IF he has, what next?
It's getting late in the season. What's
rain down below may be snow up
here. l wouldn't risk being showed
up here, if had all Quincy market
to fall back on. If we don't care to
leave our bones here, we must roll up
our blankets and vamos."
Lets give Bent one more day."
said Harry, eff he don't come by this
time tomorrow, then I'll say vamos."
I'm wild ye, put in Pat.
AS there were no dissenting voices
the question was considered settled.
While this conversation had been 90
ing ON, we were all drinking coffee
from tin cups, and with blunted
knives, usually carried in our belts,
eating fried ham and saleratus bread,
that Standish had mixed in the pan he
had used many time before for wash
ing gold.
Evening came but no Bent. In the
morning our preparations for depart
ure were quickly made.
"How about the trailP" Harry asked.
Here's my compass" Standish
answered, drawing a pocket compass
from the folds of his grimy, faded
blouse. "And Browser's as good as an
Indian any day."
SO we started; each one of us, if we
had been seen in the streets of any city
but San Francisco, would have been
taken for walking exhibition of pow
erty. Our broad brimmed hats were
rusty and weather. beaten; our once
red shirts were many colored; the
leather belts, that held our mud-be-
spattered trowsers, were mud-be-spat-
tered too; our thick shoes orlong boots
bore samples from various diggings.
Yet each man carried his bag of gold
swung on his rifle, over his shoulder,
with his washing pan and his blanket.
On Browser's back were spades, pick
axes, sharp crow-bars, hatchets and
what provisions remained.
Standish had general knowledge
of the country, acquired from books,
when he was considering whether to
give up his sure salary for the chances
of a fortune, to be made by a lucky
spades turn or picks blow. He knew
that the beach ON the Pacific coast was
wide, in long stretches, and that, once
reached, we We're almost sure of an
unobstructed way to some ranch OF In
dian village, where we could find food
of some kind. He hoped to bring up
ut Trinidad; but he moderated the
difficulties of the tramp. The i'm.
mense redwood trees, that lowered
against the western sky, could not
have so thriven away from damp
salt air, but they were farther off than
they appeared, and between them
were drs, spruce and pines. also 8